Kizuna: Nikkei Stories from the 2011 Japan Earthquake & Tsunami
In Japanese, kizuna means strong emotional bonds.
This series shares stories about Nikkei individual and/or community reaction and perspectives on the Great Tohoku Kanto earthquake on March 11, 2011 and the resulting tsunami and other impacts—either about supporting relief efforts or how what has happened has affected them and their feeling of connection to Japan.
If you would like to share your reactions, please see the “Submit an Article” page for general submission guidelines. We welcome submissions in English, Japanese, Spanish, and/or Portuguese, and are seeking diverse stories from around the world.
We hope that these stories bring some comfort to those affected in Japan and around the world, and that this will become like a time capsule of responses and perspectives from our global Nima-kai community for the future.
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There are many organizations and relief funds established around the world providing support for Japan. Follow us on Twitter @discovernikkei for info on Nikkei relief efforts, or check the Events section. If you’re posting a Japan relief fundraising event, please add the tag “JPquake2011” to make it appear on the list of earthquake relief events.
Stories from this series
Ai Love Japan 2014: Visiting Tohoku After the Quake
Jan. 27, 2014 • Michael M. Sera
After the “Tohoku Insights 2013” event at JAMsj [Japanese American Museum of San Jose] last year, I was inspired to visit the Tohoku area and see the aftermath first hand. My journey was made richer because I was able to visit the region with professional photographer and journalist Darrell Miho, a co-founder of Ai Love Japan. Because the mission of Ai Love Japan is to document survivor stories and provide direct aid to the people most affected by the earthquake, …
Ohama’s Cloth Letter exhibition begins in Toronto and Mississauga
Dec. 20, 2013 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
After a long trek across the country, Linda Ohama’s Cloth Letter exhibition has finally arrived in Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario for the Christmas and New Year holidays. The exhibition can now be viewed at the Toronto Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre from December 12 to the end of January. Another exhibition will be on display at the Mississauga Central Public Library from January 11 to February 16, 2014. After an extensive tour of Japan, the tour arrived in Canada in the …
Ohama’s Cloth Letter Tour Begins in Vancouver - Part 2 of 2
June 25, 2013 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
Read Part 1 >> GRANDDAUGHTER INSPIRED PROJECT Q: Why do you want to bring the letters back to Canada now? The first cloth letter was made on March 12, 2011 by my granddaughter in Vancouver. From there, it spread across Canada to Halifax, Toronto, Mississauga, Montreal, Winnipeg, Whitehorse, Peace River, Nanaimo, Steveston, Bowen Island, etc. And, now, 24 months and thousands of letters later, the cloth letters return to where they began! Q: What are your hopes for this Canadian tour? My hope …
Ohama’s Cloth Letter Tour Begins in Vancouver - Part 1 of 2
June 18, 2013 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
After touring around Japan for almost two years in support of the victims of the 3/11 tsunami in Tohoku, showing in 55 locations, Linda Ohama’s Cloth Letter exhibition is coming back to Canada where it began. The Canadian cloth letter exhibition tour begins July 8 - 22 in Vancouver, B.C. with cloth letters displayed at the YMCA (Burrard Street); Artists for Kids (Lonsdale Avenue); National Nikkei Centre (Burnaby); the Murakami Museum at the Britannia Heritage Shipyard (Richmond B.C.); and the …
A 3/11 Book Review of Strong in the Rain
March 21, 2013 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
I received a phone message from my Nisei Aunt Lorna in Barrie, ON: “Norman, I just saw a news report on CTV news about a group of students from Malvern Collegiate in Toronto who are going to Japan to see the 3/11 disaster zone. The Japanese Consul-General, Eiji Yamamoto, says that Tohoku is ‘fully recovered’ from the disaster. What’s going on?! That’s not what Linda Ohama is saying.” “What a crock,” I couldn’t help but think. I called her back and …
Monkey Majik and the Yoshida Brothers’ “SOS Tohoku Relief Tour”
Jan. 16, 2013 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
“I was scared of old, distant memories Now I’ve become strong and tall If the night will even if there is nothing left in the world, the light will come When will it come again?” —from “Headlight” (2012), Monkey Majik Monkey Majik and the Yoshida Brothers toured together on a three …